With the Maryland primary quickly approaching and Democratic leaders casting about for ways to engage voters in the months leading up to the November election, the Maryland Democratic Party and former vice president Joe Biden’s White House campaign have a series of events scheduled for this week that are designed to be building blocks for the general election push. The main event is a “[email protected]” rally next Sunday at 3 p.m., sponsored by the Maryland Democratic Party. (Md Matters)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s approval rating has surged amid the coronavirus, a new Gonzales poll released Tuesday found. The poll, which included 810 registered voters who are likely to vote in the fall, showed Hogan’s approval rating to be 78 percent, up eight percent from a poll released in early March. (WJZ)

With five open seats, Baltimore City Council will see a ’changing of the guard’ in June primary

The Baltimore City Council will look vastly different after the June 2 primary, as five incumbents retire or run for a different office and challengers threaten to unseat other members in competitive races. The coronavirus pandemic thwarted candidates’ plans to introduce themselves to voters through the usual community forums and knocking on doors. Political observers say it could be tough for people to know exactly who to select as they examine their ballots. (Balt Sun)

Baltimore Mayor Hopes President Trump Will ‘Change His Mind’ About Fort McHenry Visit And Stay Home On Memorial Day

Baltimore Mayor Jack Young hopes President Donald Trump changes his mind about visiting Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine this Memorial Day and instead remains at home. The White House announced President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would be visiting Baltimore on Monday.Young said he wished the President would set a better example as Baltimore remains under a stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus pandemic. (WJZ)

Before the state acted, this Maryland county launched a contact-tracing army

Local leaders in Maryland and top Democrats in Annapolis have accused Gov. Larry Hogan (R) of moving too slowly to hire contact tracers through the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC). Filling the gap, for now, are people like Moran, part of an army of school health workers deployed by the Anne Arundel County government.(Wash Post)

Blue Flame Medical, the politically connected company under investigation for what state officials say was a failure to deliver much-needed supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, said Thursday it has begun delivering ventilators to the state of Maryland. Former state Attorney General Doug Gansler, now a lawyer in private practice who is representing the company, said 27 ventilators were delivered to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency Thursday morning. (Balt Sun)

Anne Arundel County Executive says he rejects violence after reopen advocates threaten to come to his home

Anne Arundel police are increasing protection of County Executive Steuart Pittman after comments on the ReOpen Anne Arundel County Facebook alluded to violence and threatened to visit Pittman’s home with one commentator suggesting they bring bail money. The Anne Arundel County Police Department is monitoring the page and declined to describe how they are increasing protection of the county executive. Pittman said he is discouraging all threats of violence related to reopening the county and asking his fellow political figures to do the same. (Cap Gazette)

Lawmakers in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction approved a $5.9 billion budget for fiscal 2021 on Thursday that maintains existing spending levels and tax rates. In the face of projected revenue shortfalls linked to the coronavirus crisis, the Montgomery County Council trimmed about $70 million from the budget proposed by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) in March, rejecting large spending increases in education and affordable housing. (Wash Post)